ECIS Hosts Mental Health First Aid Workshop

Learning how to identify and support staff members with mental health issues was the focus of a recent workshop held by EC Insurance Services (ECIS), in conjunction with Mental Health First Aid England and ECA.

Electrotechnical professionals and ECA staff attended the event, which provided the foundations to create ‘mental health champions’ in their organisation. Delegates learnt how to spot the symptoms of mental health issues, offer initial help and guide a person towards support.

The day provided information on the various mental health issues employees may experience and tackled the delicate topic of suicide. There were several interactive sessions that enabled the delegates to work together to think about the best way of dealing with different situations.

“Being able to spot when someone might need mental health support, and knowing how to act when issues arise, is becoming increasingly important in today’s workplace,” said Vicki Leslie, client relationship manager at ECIS. “The workshop was extremely helpful in arming delegates with the tools and knowledge they need to start such conversations. ECIS want to support ECA members and the construction industry as a whole to tackle this subject and help ensure that advice and support is there for businesses and employees when needed.”

Lee Hawkins, managing director of Hawden Associates, commented, “As an employer, you recognise most occasions when staff might feel pressured or under stress, but this event really helped me to realise some of the symptoms of stress that I have, to date, missed. I’ll be using the practical tools from the workshop back in the office with my team to look more closely at what might affect their mental health and how we can help them.”

Following this initial pilot event, the ECA plans to work with ECIS to hold further workshops around the country for its members. Through ECIS, electrical contractors can access healthcare services that includes comprehensive support and treatment for mental health as well as physical wellbeing.